London studio Open Practice Architecture and interior design studio Kinder Design have completed Coach House, a family house tucked into a neglected infill site in East Dulwich.
Reclaimed brick was used to create a compact, three-bedroom home and its ash-lined guest annexe on the mews site, previously home to a ministry of transport (MOT) garage and associated outbuildings.
Open Practice Architecture and Kinder Design have completed Coach House
Open Practice Architecture and Kinder Design acquired the site in 2017 and acted as both developers and designers on the project. They completed the home around a central courtyard in 2022 and the annexe on the small adjacent plot in 2023.
“It’s exciting to be amongst a growing number of architects who are pivoting into development as a way of navigating a difficult market,” Open Practice Architecture direct Rupert Scott told Dezeen.
Reclaimed brick blends in with the surrounding buildings
“Whilst we hoped to create something architecturally unique, we didn’t want the building to shout its arrival,” Scott added.
“The focus was on creating a calm, light-filled and practical family home, that was also well insulated and energy efficient.”
The ground floor has sliding glass doors that open onto the courtyard
Coach House’s L-shaped plan follows the footprint of the original building on the site, with the ground floor living, dining and kitchen areas opening onto a courtyard via full-height sliding glass doors.
A white-steel staircase leads up to the first floor, where the three bedrooms overlook both the courtyard and a lightwell that helps to pull natural light into the darker side of the plot.
“The building faces north, so one of our key challenges was ensuring ample natural light throughout the space,” Scott explained.
“Creating a ‘light pocket’ at the rear allowed us to connect two of the bedrooms to the south-facing light, rather than having all the rooms squeezed together facing the courtyard,” he added
The interiors feature concrete flooring with exposed aggregate
Reclaimed London brick was used to blend Coach House in with the surrounding mews buildings, while the interiors have been finished with painted and plywood walls and a concrete floor with exposed aggregate.
The studios were keen to allude to the more utilitarian history of the buildings on the site, with the entrance to the home marked by a large sliding wooden door suspended from an exposed steel beam.
The guest annexe features natural ash cladding inside and out
For the guest annexe, contrasting natural ash cladding is used both inside and out, including on a hinged shutter on the first floor.
“Using a singular material can sometimes be too reductive, but here, it provides a lovely counterbalance and bookend to the main house,” said Scott.
The home’s entrance is a sliding wooden door hung from an exposed steel beam
Like any other piece of furniture, a chair can become more than a functional product. It can also be an art object or a statement piece that adds value to an area, elevating it from a drab room to a luxury space. Of course, it’s easier said than done, because exaggerated designs, no matter how luxurious, can also have the opposite effect.
One doesn’t need to go overboard with materials and details to create eye-catching furniture. Sometimes the simple fusion of two contrasting materials can already add points of interest, at least if they’re done in a tasteful way. This concept for a luxury office chair tries to apply that principle in a way that almost makes it look like wood is growing out of stone.
While most designs call for complementary characteristics, contrast can sometimes work better in creating a more beautiful and more engaging compositions. Black and white, soft and hard, natural and artificial, these put two seemingly opposite properties together in a way that challenges not only the mind of the viewer but also the creativity of the designer. After all, it’s not trivial to combine two diametrically opposed things and still make them look like a unified product.
ZYVOR is a concept for a luxury chair that combines wood and marble, one known for its warmth while the other for its coolness. Although marble needs more processing than wood, both are considered natural or sustainable materials to some extent, even if they have different and contrasting personalities in people’s minds. Wood, after all, is sourced from a living thing while marble and stone are instead grafted and chiseled.
In addition to the contrasting sources, the forms of these two materials also seem to be juxtaposed, almost the opposite of their natural properties. The chair’s marble base starts out as a cylinder but then bends upward in an organic curve like the stem of a plant. The wooden seat, in contrast, is naturally curved but looks like it was carved out of a larger piece, almost like stone.
The end result of this combination of contrasting elements is a sophisticated chair design that feels like it sprouted and grew up in an organic and natural manner. Its elegant and slender design belies the stability it offers, thanks to the marble and wood wrapping around each other. It might look a little overkill for an office chair, but it definitely stands out as a premium piece that enhances the ambiance of any room it’s in.
Dezeen Showroom: architecture studio TenBerke worked with US brand Warp & Weft to create a rug collection informed by dawn, midday and dusk.
The Light and Shadow rug collection comprises ten rugs that, like TenBerke‘s architecture and interiors, show attentiveness to how light changes over the course of the day.
The Midday II rug explores the nature of light when the sun is at its highest
The three Dawn rug designs were inspired by the early morning light as it washes over a surface, with variations of wool and silk creating soft transitions, while the three Midday designs attempt to capture the crisp definition of line and texture that comes into focus under a high sun.
“The Midday collection epitomises the detailing of our work,” said TenBerke partner Kiki Denis. “The designs appear clearly composed and almost straightforward, but the colouration and materiality reveals a depth and richness that becomes personal and interactive.”
Dusk II attempts to capture the sun disappearing below the horizon
The final four rugs take their cues from the movement of shadows at dusk, primarily through a muted palette with depth and dimension created through varied pile heights.
“This restraint in the palette assures the rugs are timeless and textural, although the hemp silk rug in the collection has a shot of colour evoking the last brilliant hues glimpsed as the sun disappears below the horizon,” said Dennis.
Dezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen’s huge global audience. For more details email showroom@dezeen.com.
Dezeen Showroom is an example of partnership content on Dezeen. Find out more about partnership content here.
Jawaher Boston Medical District will feature a large tree-filled park measuring 1,000 metres by 500 metres, with a canopy at its centre to shade medical buildings.
Jawaher Boston Medical District will be surrounded by a park
Its centrepiece will be a hospital underneath the canopy, designed as a peaceful and calming environment with views overlooking the surrounding park.
Buildings will be placed under a canopy
“We aim to create a new model for the hospital of the future, providing a healing and sustainable environment that combines cutting-edge medical technology with a human-centred design, ensuring excellence in healthcare delivery for patients, their families, and medical staff,” said Renzo Piano Building Workshop’s partner in charge Antoine Chaaya.
“We look forward to working with Beeah to bring this vision to life and contribute to the wellbeing of the community in Sharjah and the wider United Arab Emirates.”
Jawaher Boston Medical District’s canopy will be lined with photovoltaic panels to provide renewable energy to the site.
Plants will populate the site, chosen to enhance the microclimate, while the park surrounding the medical facilities will be filled with trees. Under the canopy, garden spaces such as orchards and groves will have fruit-bearing trees and drought-resistant plants.
Renzo Piano Building Workshop aims to create a calming environment
“Since our inception, Beeah has always been committed to pioneering a sustainable quality of life for all,” said Beeah CEO Khaled Al Huraimel.
“Our entry into the healthcare industry is a transformational step in our journey and reflects our recognition of the importance of the sector towards this mission,” he continued.
“With the world-renowned Renzo Piano as our architect, we are confident that the Jawaher Boston Medical District will set a new benchmark for healthcare excellence in the region, bringing world-class medical care and innovative treatments to patients in Sharjah and the wider United Arab Emirates for generations to come.”
The facility will provide healthcare to people in Sharjah and the United Arab Emirates
Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano founded his eponymous studio in 1981. Today the firm has offices in Genoa and Paris.
As NASA prepares to send astronauts back to the moon in 2027, the US space agency is already thinking about how lunar resources could be exploited for commercial purposes, architecture strategist Nujoud Merancy reveals in this interview.
Working in the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, she describes her work as focusing on “the big picture view of the future” – setting out the early stages of the agency’s longer-term programmes.
NASA’s immediate focus for lunar missions is scientific research, with its Artemis programme set to land astronauts on the moon in 2027 for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972.
Nujoud Merancy says permanent infrastructure will be on the moon within a few decades
But as the agency plans for longer-term residency on the moon, Merancy sees the potential for commercial opportunities.
“One of the big questions around the moon is the business case of building out permanent habitation,” Merancy told Dezeen.
“Looking longer term, some of the questions turn into: are we there to do mining or some sort of profitable thing, in which case the commercial industry would take the lead more, or is it more of a science-type platform like Antarctica?”
“That’s what we’re trying to answer – what can we do at the moon?” she continued. “Hopefully within the next few decades, we’re looking at more permanent commercial infrastructure, and that’s what we call sustained lunar evolution.”
“We’re starting to see tourism in low-Earth orbit. The possibilities are endless at the moment, and it really depends on how much we can make this an accessible thing through science and technology exploration so that the business community can find those opportunities in the future.”
Moon could be similar to Antarctic architecture
Merancy sees parallels between plans for building structures on the moon and the developments seen in the harsh conditions of Antarctica.
Buildings for scientists on the polar continent started emerging around the early 20th century as simple hut-like structures, but after the 1959 Antarctic Treaty established Antarctica as a continent for research, countries began building their own permanent architect-designed research centres, including the USA’s McMurdo Station.
“Antarctica and the McMurdo Station and all the developments that happen there is where I see us in the next couple of decades,” said Merancy.
“The nearer-term vision is an international scientific and technological endeavour, and then longer term, I hope to see more people travelling to the moon,” she continued.
“It was decades before Antarctica had permanent habitation – that’s the type of build-out scheme that we’re probably going to use.”
However, the first lunar structures are not likely to look like buildings we are used to seeing on Earth.
According to Merancy, pressurised rovers that astronauts can live in and use to explore the lunar surface will be developed first.
Then, small habitats will be built with designs that can be extended into larger settlements.
“The word ‘buildings’ conjures up in people’s minds multi-storey type things – we’re really looking at how do we get a foothold with small pressurised elements,” she said.
“Our immediate goal is to get enough infrastructure to support a crew for 30 days, which is looking accomplishable in the next decade, and from there, start building out.”
“Permanent habitation is probably still way off in the future because of the challenge of sustaining the systems and the power levels during the lunar nights, which are many days in length at the south pole and two weeks long at the equator,” Merancy continued.
NASA is preparing to send astronauts back to the moon in 2027
The first habitats to be built on the moon are likely to have a cylindrical shape, similar to space stations and rockets, but inflatable elements could be added as the habitats grow.
“Cylinders are the best structures to build for pressurised elements, so you’re looking at the cylindrical modules we’re familiar with, but building in airlocks and sustainable crew living systems – toilets, beds, hammocks, things like that,” said Merancy.
“Over time, as we deploy systems, we’ll hopefully be able to build out larger systems that could include inflatable habitats, as they give you a lot of volume for the same mass.”
Merancy explained that while in-situ 3D printing offers some potential for building on the moon, it is unlikely to be used for pressurised modules. Instead, it could be used for making landing pads and protective walls.
“Radiation is a problem out there, so you could use it to build up protective berms around your habitats with the lunar regolith,” she said.
“You could build up shielding so that when the rockets land, you can land them closer to your habitats because you’ve got a break to keep the plume impingement of kicking rocks up on your habitat.”
“If you look back at Apollo, everything was truly Spartan”
A lot of what gets built on the moon will stay there, according to Merancy. Because of this, she is considering the sustainability of permanent structures and their impact on the lunar landscape.
“As we understand the benefits of in-situ resource utilisation, whether it’s the regolith or water ice, do we need to set up special zones to protect certain areas and basically have national parks on the moon?” she said.
“There are so many policy questions around what we’re doing for that reason, and what it means to be sustainable is a big question that can cover a variety of aspects, including the ability to keep visiting and the preservation of certain parts of the moon.”
Merancy hopes that what does get built on the moon exceeds lunar designs from past missions, going beyond what is merely functional to also have an element of beauty.
“If you look back at Apollo, everything was truly Spartan – the functionality of it trumped any design aspect,” said Merancy.
“We’re threading the needle of how we make things functional, but because we want them to be sustainable and longer lasting, we need more comforts for the crew for their psychological benefit,” she continued.
“We are very limited and performance-challenged with what’s taken to the moon – every kilogram that gets added to the vehicle takes away from oxygen or water that could have been delivered, so performance challenge is a big driver in the design,” Merancy added.
“I would love to get to the point that adding features for the beauty of it can be a much bigger consideration.”
Dezeen In Depth If you enjoy reading Dezeen’s interviews, opinions and features, subscribe to Dezeen In Depth. Sent on the last Friday of each month, this newsletter provides a single place to read about the design and architecture stories behind the headlines.
As NASA prepares to send astronauts back to the moon in 2027, the US space agency is already thinking about how lunar resources could be exploited for commercial purposes, architecture strategist Nujoud Merancy reveals in this interview.
Working in the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, she describes her work as focusing on “the big picture view of the future” – setting out the early stages of the agency’s longer-term programmes.
NASA’s immediate focus for lunar missions is scientific research, with its Artemis programme set to land astronauts on the moon in 2027 for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972.
Nujoud Merancy says permanent infrastructure will be on the moon within a few decades
But as the agency plans for longer-term residency on the moon, Merancy sees the potential for commercial opportunities.
“One of the big questions around the moon is the business case of building out permanent habitation,” Merancy told Dezeen.
“Looking longer term, some of the questions turn into: are we there to do mining or some sort of profitable thing, in which case the commercial industry would take the lead more, or is it more of a science-type platform like Antarctica?”
“That’s what we’re trying to answer – what can we do at the moon?” she continued. “Hopefully within the next few decades, we’re looking at more permanent commercial infrastructure, and that’s what we call sustained lunar evolution.”
“We’re starting to see tourism in low-Earth orbit. The possibilities are endless at the moment, and it really depends on how much we can make this an accessible thing through science and technology exploration so that the business community can find those opportunities in the future.”
Moon could be similar to Antarctic architecture
Merancy sees parallels between plans for building structures on the moon and the developments seen in the harsh conditions of Antarctica.
Buildings for scientists on the polar continent started emerging around the early 20th century as simple hut-like structures, but after the 1959 Antarctic Treaty established Antarctica as a continent for research, countries began building their own permanent architect-designed research centres, including the USA’s McMurdo Station.
“Antarctica and the McMurdo Station and all the developments that happen there is where I see us in the next couple of decades,” said Merancy.
“The nearer-term vision is an international scientific and technological endeavour, and then longer term, I hope to see more people travelling to the moon,” she continued.
“It was decades before Antarctica had permanent habitation – that’s the type of build-out scheme that we’re probably going to use.”
However, the first lunar structures are not likely to look like buildings we are used to seeing on Earth.
According to Merancy, pressurised rovers that astronauts can live in and use to explore the lunar surface will be developed first.
Then, small habitats will be built with designs that can be extended into larger settlements.
“The word ‘buildings’ conjures up in people’s minds multi-storey type things – we’re really looking at how do we get a foothold with small pressurised elements,” she said.
“Our immediate goal is to get enough infrastructure to support a crew for 30 days, which is looking accomplishable in the next decade, and from there, start building out.”
“Permanent habitation is probably still way off in the future because of the challenge of sustaining the systems and the power levels during the lunar nights, which are many days in length at the south pole and two weeks long at the equator,” Merancy continued.
NASA is preparing to send astronauts back to the moon in 2027
The first habitats to be built on the moon are likely to have a cylindrical shape, similar to space stations and rockets, but inflatable elements could be added as the habitats grow.
“Cylinders are the best structures to build for pressurised elements, so you’re looking at the cylindrical modules we’re familiar with, but building in airlocks and sustainable crew living systems – toilets, beds, hammocks, things like that,” said Merancy.
“Over time, as we deploy systems, we’ll hopefully be able to build out larger systems that could include inflatable habitats, as they give you a lot of volume for the same mass.”
Merancy explained that while in-situ 3D printing offers some potential for building on the moon, it is unlikely to be used for pressurised modules. Instead, it could be used for making landing pads and protective walls.
“Radiation is a problem out there, so you could use it to build up protective berms around your habitats with the lunar regolith,” she said.
“You could build up shielding so that when the rockets land, you can land them closer to your habitats because you’ve got a break to keep the plume impingement of kicking rocks up on your habitat.”
“If you look back at Apollo, everything was truly Spartan”
A lot of what gets built on the moon will stay there, according to Merancy. Because of this, she is considering the sustainability of permanent structures and their impact on the lunar landscape.
“As we understand the benefits of in-situ resource utilisation, whether it’s the regolith or water ice, do we need to set up special zones to protect certain areas and basically have national parks on the moon?” she said.
“There are so many policy questions around what we’re doing for that reason, and what it means to be sustainable is a big question that can cover a variety of aspects, including the ability to keep visiting and the preservation of certain parts of the moon.”
Merancy hopes that what does get built on the moon exceeds lunar designs from past missions, going beyond what is merely functional to also have an element of beauty.
“If you look back at Apollo, everything was truly Spartan – the functionality of it trumped any design aspect,” said Merancy.
“We’re threading the needle of how we make things functional, but because we want them to be sustainable and longer lasting, we need more comforts for the crew for their psychological benefit,” she continued.
“We are very limited and performance-challenged with what’s taken to the moon – every kilogram that gets added to the vehicle takes away from oxygen or water that could have been delivered, so performance challenge is a big driver in the design,” Merancy added.
“I would love to get to the point that adding features for the beauty of it can be a much bigger consideration.”
Dezeen In Depth If you enjoy reading Dezeen’s interviews, opinions and features, subscribe to Dezeen In Depth. Sent on the last Friday of each month, this newsletter provides a single place to read about the design and architecture stories behind the headlines.
Architecture practice Studio Saar has created a lily-shaped, reusable pavilion called Srivan, which was unveiled at Design Mumbai last month.
Built to cover the breakout area for visitors to the trade show at the Jio World Garden in the heart of Mumbai, the pavilion was named was derived from Hindu principles that describe Srivan as a “forest of prosperity”.
Studio Saar created a shelter at Design Mumbai
“Srivan tells the story of craftsmanship, using simple, natural, reusable, and recyclable materials to create a pavilion that will provide shelter and delight Design Mumbai visitors during their visit to the fair,” said Studio Saar managing partner Ananya Singhal.
“It represents the traditional holistic thinking that still informs sustainable architecture and design in India.”
It was composed of lily-shaped modules
The structure was formed of 33 hexagonal modules, which the studio described as “lily-shaped”, arranged in an irregular pattern.
Each module was supported at the base by a plinth made of pink Rajasthan stone, which also doubled up as a seat. Additional seating was provided by local outdoor furniture brand ABACA.
Tubular steel structures supported in the base held sheets of Khadi – a coarsely spun cotton fabric made in India – to create a petal-like form.
Khadi was installed between the steel supports
The fabric was used both in its natural form and dyed, using soapnut and tea. This was undertaken by Aavaran, an Udaipur-based social enterprise specialising in natural dyeing.
At night, light fixtures integrated into the steel structures projected a soft light onto the fabric, making the pavilion glow.
Singhal told Dezeen that one of the biggest challenges the team faced in putting the pavilion together on site was logistics – especially because the show took place right after a national holiday.
“It is a big installation and a heavy one, due to the use of heavy stone to prevent the lilies from toppling with heavy gusts of coastal winds,” he said. “Design Mumbai was just after Diwali and this meant that we needed to co-ordinate logistics before Diwali and get a large team on site to finish things on the day after Diwali.”
Lithophones were placed around the pavilion
Studio Saar also collaborated with The Stonemasonry Company to design a set of six lithophones made of black marble. These were dotted around the pavilion with the intention of having visitors interact with them.
Srivan was built to be easily demountable and fully reused in line with circular economy principles. The modules were not only slated to be reused for other travelling exhibitions,but will also be used to cover outdoor breakout spaces within the manufacturing campus of Secure Meters.
Srivan was built to cover the outdoor breakout area for visitors
Frangipani and ficus trees, which were interspersed throughout the pavilion, will be donated to schools in Mumbai and Udaipur.
“Embodying the shared labour of 200 stonemasons, weavers, dyers, metalworkers and other craftspeople, each component of our pavilion will find a new life beyond the four days of Design Mumbai and will continue to serve different communities across the country,” said Singhal.
“There is a significant appetite for sustainable thinking in the built environment when it is tied with good design. People want both and there are lots of opportunities to deliver both.”
The pavilion was designed to be demountable and reusable
Promotion: design festival Taiwain Design Week has returned, taking place between 7 to 15 December, following its inaugural edition last year.
The exhibition, entitled The Gateway, has been eagerly expected by designers and technologists in the region, given the significance of machine learning technology on design. Over 28 Taiwanese and 6 international design teams are featuring with more than 17 events taking place.
The festival takes place at the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park in Taipei
Taking place in the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park in Taipei, the design week was organised by the Taiwan Design Research Institute.
The design festival in Taiwan’s capital has been supported by the Industrial Development Administration of the Ministry of Economic Affairs. The organisers expect the festival to further enhance the country’s creativity around AI and design and draw in interest from other countries.
Every Building’s OOTD is an exhibition taking place during Taiwan Design Week 2024
A rich programme of events will explore the intersection between technology and creativity, especially around how the acceleration in artificial intelligence is impacting design, architecture and art.
Talks and exhibitions have invited attendees to look at how machine learning tools can serve as both a catalyst and tool for design talent.
The festival looks at how AI is impacting design, architecture and art
The festival has not shied away from concerns around AI, asking questions around whether AI will replace human roles and broader anxiety around machine learning software.
“These exhibits explore the diverse possibilities of integrating generative AI into work and life,” said the organisers.
How AI will alter work and life will be explored, say the organisers
The Synthetic Storyteller installation by Studio MMR and Jimmy Wei-Chun Cheng uses AI to predict lifestyles through individual design choices, imagining a future where smart homes meet emotional needs with personalised spaces.
The Every Building’s OOTD exhibition by Yu-Zih Wang of Tung Hai University AI environmental design programme uses the technology to create architectural plans from the patterns found in textiles.
Taiwan AI ecosystem and industries are being showcased during the design festival
The festival’s talks programme also features a discussion highlighting an AI-driven future. It is led by representatives from the Design Council in Busan, in partnership and the World Design Organisation alongside a host of Taiwanese designers.
The forums also cover diverse topics, including the Design Research Forum, which serves as a preliminary event for the 2025 International Association of Societies of Design Research (IASDR) conference in Taipei.
This forum showcases Taiwan’s ongoing research into AI’s ecosystem and industries.
Taiwan Design Week will attract the country’s AI’s ecosystem and industries
The week will also feature the Golden Pin Design Award (GPDA) ceremony on 13 December, celebrating global design and innovation.
The first edition of Taiwan Design Week took place in 2023 following the theme Elastic Bridging, with more than 100 designers and 54 interdisciplinary local organisations exploring a range of design mediums.
An exhibition featuring Polish typography and posters will also feature at the festival
This year’s Taiwan Design Week has also, for the first time, chosen a partner country: Poland. An exhibition featuring a selection of posters and typography designs conveying the stories and emotions of Poland will be on show. Meanwhile, Phantoms of Tomorrow offers a powerful reflection on the future of our planet through the lens of design.
Images and renders courtesy of Taiwan Design Week.
Taiwan Design Week 2024 takes place from 7 to 15 December 2024, serving as a critical platform for exploring how AI will shape the future of design and creativity.
See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
Partnership content
This article was written by Dezeen for Taiwan Design Week as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.
Dutch designer Paul Coenen has used plastic film to create a wrinkled pattern on the anodised aluminium surfaces of furniture and lighting pieces he presented during Dutch Design Week.
Coenen became interested in the possibility of creating patterned aluminium surfaces after seeing a gradient sample produced by technical coatings specialist BWB Surface Technology.
He used a specially developed hand-dying process to colour the components of a coffee table and lamp from his Section furniture collection, as well as a stool made from a single piece of folded aluminium.
Paul Coenen has created an aluminium furniture collection with a “shrink-wrap” pattern
The designer, whose practice focuses on experimenting with materials and manufacturing techniques, visited BWB to learn more about how colour is introduced during the anodisation process.
Rather than simply applying a single colour, Coenen explored various techniques that could enable the introduction of pattern to the aluminium oxide layer on the metal’s surface.
“This experimental approach reshapes aluminium as a dynamic, expressive material,” he suggested, “highlighting the interplay of colour and texture with aluminium’s raw, metallic essence.”
The designer collaborated with BWB Surface Technology to create patterned aluminium surfaces
Anodisation involves submerging the metal several times in baths containing an electrolytic solution that is electrified to create a durable, corrosion-resistant oxidised finish.
Coenen removed the panels from the production line towards the end of the process and treated them by hand using organic dyes, which were absorbed by the naturally porous aluminium oxide layer.
The panels were laid out on trestles and the designer poured over the liquid dyes and overlayed the plastic sheets that add a crinkled texture to the surfaces.
A specially developed hand-dying process was used
The dyes react with the oxidation layer, creating a pattern that becomes part of the metal surface. The panels are then unwrapped, rinsed off and returned to the production line to complete the process.
Coenen described the technique he developed in collaboration with BWB as “shrink wrapping” because it uses the same kind of plastic film used in food packaging.
The stool is made from a single piece of folded aluminium
“The idea behind the shrink-wrap is that applying it onto the wet dye makes the dye flow into the creases,” he told Dezeen.
“Outside of the creases the dye is pushed away. Where more dye stays; in the crease, the aluminium gets a deeper, darker colour.”
Each piece of the Column Light and Column Coffee Table underwent two colour treatments, with a yellow base layer forming the backdrop for a deep purple-blue finish on the table and a violet layer on the lamp.
The process left glimpses of the raw aluminium exposed, adding a layer of depth to the intricate, textured patterns. This is particularly evident on the Camber Stool, which is anodised with a single-layer purple-blue finish.
Each piece of the lamp and coffee table undergoes two colour treatments
Coenen explained that the way the colours mix and shift in hue depending on how long they left on the surface produced some surprising outcomes.
“Working with the dyes and the shrink-wrap technique revealed that while I could guide the outcome, I couldn’t fully control it,” he added.
“This unpredictability added depth and uniqueness to each piece, reminding me of letting the material and process take some control.”
The dyes react with the metal’s oxidation layer, embedding a pattern
The project is a departure from Coenen’s previous work, which featured simple stainless-steel forms combined to create minimalist furniture pieces.
The designer said he sometimes felt that these objects were “too simple for the Dutch audience” and noted that the coloured pieces received far greater attention during his presentation at Dutch Design Week.
He also spoke enthusiastically about the collaboration with BWB, which allowed him to explore new ways of creatively reimagining a familiar industrial process.
“BWB’s openness to experimentation showed me how innovation often arises at the intersection of technical expertise and artistic curiosity,” he said.
The colours’ hue shifts over time and leads to surprising results
Coenen’s project featured in a group show called Say Something Nice, alongside works by Tim Teven, Onno Adriaanse and Studio Guilty, that was held at the Sectie-C arts centre in Eindhoven.
Dutch Design Week 2024 took place in Eindhoven from 19 to 27 October. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
Few things are as frustrating as confronting a challenge and realizing your tools have let you down—if they were even packed at all. Even when you do prepare, there’s the exasperating moment when the one tool you truly need is nowhere to be found. Carrying every tool imaginable isn’t practical unless you’re hauling a toolbox around, which is why multi-functional tools have earned their place in the modern kit.
The Eiger Tool 8-in-1 Multi-functional Scissors exemplifies this ingenuity, blending cutting-edge practicality with sleek design in a package compact enough to rest in your palm.
Having scissors as part of your everyday carry (EDC) kit is nothing new, especially in places where sharp tools are legally allowed. However, most EDC scissors rely on foldable mechanisms, sacrificing power for size. Others remain single-purpose tools, useful only for snipping thin or weak materials. The Eiger Tool flips this narrative, proving you can have a compact design without compromising on strength or versatility.
At just 13cm (5.1 inches), these tiny scissors fit comfortably in your hand, pocket, or bag. Yet their cutting ability rivals full-sized tools, capable of slicing through even tougher tasks like food and meat prep. Their efficiency doesn’t stop at cutting—nearly every side and surface of the Eiger Tool is engineered for critical functionality.
The handles double as a lid opener and nutcracker, while also gripping caps for easier twisting. One blade incorporates cutouts for a bottle opener, can opener, and degasser, while the other blade serves as a discreet knife. Eight distinct uses, all packed into a tool no larger than your palm.
Where this tool truly shines is in its craftsmanship. Made in Japan, the stainless steel body is treated with an oxidation coating, enhancing rust resistance while imparting a sleek black finish that’s as striking as it is durable. Designed with usability in mind, the scissors’ two halves detach effortlessly for quick cleaning and reattach just as seamlessly.
Whether you’re assembling a handmade project at home or enjoying the tranquility of a weekend hike, these scissors are ready to cut, twist, crack, and slice their way through every challenge.
The Eiger Tool doesn’t just solve problems—it does so with style. Compact yet powerful, elegant yet practical, this tool is your go-to ally for conquering everyday challenges with flair. With its versatility and sophistication, it’s more than just a tool—it’s a statement.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
